John Kernan Mullen

Origins

Mullen was born to Denis Mullen (1806–86) and Ellen Mulray (1816–88) in the town of Ballinasloe, County Galway, in June 1847. He had elder siblings, Bridget (born 1841) and Maria (born 1842), his twin brother, John, and younger siblings Denis (born 1850), Kate (born 1853) and Ella (born 1855).

During the 1820s and 1830s, Denis and his brother, Thomas Mullen, "crafted barrels for the mills" of Ballinasloe, which had three oatmeal mills, two breweries and a flour mill. However, the advent of the Great Famine brought an end to whatever prosperity the family enjoyed. In 1856, the family emigrated to the United States, arriving in Boston. They settled at Oriskany Falls in Oneida County, New York, where Denis and Thomas purchased houses adjacent to each other, and close to the town mill, where John Mullen first worked at age fourteen.

Mullen soon dropped out of school to help support the family. At his first job with the Oriskany Flour Mill, he learned the operation and won the respect of the owner, who placed Mullen in charge of the mill before he was twenty. In 1867, Mullen headed west looking for a mill in need of a miller. He spent time in Illinois and Atchison, Kansas. He settled in Troy, Kansas, where he was in charge of the Banner Flour Mills, owned by Tracey and Parker Company. After three years, Mullen left for Denver, where he worked for a mill owned by Shackelton and Davis.

In 1875, Mullen decided to operate his own mill. Mullen leased the old Star Mill in north Denver as a partnership with Theodore Seth. After a year, Mullen bought him out and the company became J. K. Mullen and Company. During the following years, Mullen took over the Iron Clad Mill, Sigler Mill, Excelsior Mill and opened the Hungarian Mill in 1882.

In 1885, Mullen organized the Colorado Milling and Elevator Company to oversee all of the milling productions, with himself as general manager. In addition to milling, Mullen was involved in the land and cattle business. These businesses included the J. K. Mullen Land and Cattle Company located in Lamar, the Platte Land and Cattle Company in Logan County; and the Riverside Land and Cattle Company in Larimer County.

Personal life

Mullen married Catherine Smith on October 12, 1874. They had five daughters. All are buried in the Mullen plot at Mt. Olivet. Mullen became known as a philanthropist because of his numerous donations of land and money. Among his most notable gifts:

Honors

In recognition of Mullen's efforts to help the Catholic Church, the Pope twice knighted him, first as a Knight of the Order of St. Gregory and later as a Knight of the Order of Malta.

Death

Mullen died on August 9, 1929. He was the first person to lie in state at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. After Mullen's death, his daughters established in-state the Mullen Home for Boys in his memory.